No Matter What
by Xeion
Summary: “Stan....just promise me that no matter what happens. We’ll still be friends.” You said yes...but you didn’t mean it did you? You promised that we would always be together. You couldn’t keep the one promise that we’ve ever made to each other.


"_Stan....just promise me that no matter what happens. We'll still be friends."_

"_Sure Kyle. Super-Best-Friends."_

_You said it...but you didn't mean it did you? You promised that we would always be together, but you left anyway. You couldn't keep the one promise that we've ever made to each other._

_And because of that, I can neve forgive you._

_---_

Stan Marsh had moved away at the age of 13. Leaving his three friends, including his best friend, devastate and unsure of what to do next. No one knew where he was going, or even how long he would be gone for...but that didn't matter.

All's they knew was that Stan was moving, and things were going to change.

Now it was five years later.

Everything they knew was in the past as they moved up the ranks and were now seniors, and enjoying their last yeah at South Park High School.

---

After Stan had left, the three remaining friends had slowly began to change and grow apart from each. other.

Kenny had since long abandoned his orange jacket and hood...well...more like just the hood. He just couldn't seem to bring himself to parting with the old thing. But his blond-mess of hair hasn't changed in the least, still unruly and unkept as ever. He was now seen around hanging with Craig and Tweek, what they have in common was beyond anyone's knowledge.

Cartman had changed dramatically. Somewhere between grade 8 and 10 he began losing all of that weight that made him the so called "fat-ass" that everyone knew him as. Now on the football team, he was more a tank then anything else, more and more people had also started calling him by his first name now as well. But he still was the offensive and uncaring bastard that he was back when they we younger. Though he did seem to have a sort of "soft' spot if you would for one Leopold "Butters" Stotch, who followed Eric around like a little lost puppy.

No one was sure what to say about Kyle.

He had turned into quite the looker no doubt. His wild hair, still the flaming red that it was, had become quite tamable and now fell to his shoulders in soft wavy lines. He was a nerd. At the top in all of his classes and was always the one to score perfect one every test. He didn't really stick with one group of people, most of that came from the fact that he didn't want to get close and then having them leave like Stan did.

The four inseparable boys became three after losing Stan. Then fell apart all together during their High School years. But there was a light in the darkness.

Even though they hardly talked to each other anymore, aside from the occasional greeting in the hallways. They still, silently, looked out for each other. Knowing that if they didn't, then no one would.

The end of the last school year was a prime example.

Kyle was a perfect person to bully. But it wasn't because he was a nerd or unpopular. In fact, it was the exact opposite.

There was just something about the Jewish boy that made everyone's cheeks heat up. It was the way he looked, with out even trying he was easily the cutest boy at the school...hell even most of the guys thought so. He wasn't trying to get attention or anything of the sort, he just naturally looked very effeminate.

During final exams of last year, Kyle had gotten himself in a bit of a problem.

He had been fitting in some last minute studying before his exam, out by the football field bleachers. Mistake number one, football players always hang out there...plus half of them are always thinking about girls and sex. God only knows why.

~X~

_Butters had been told by his English teacher to search for Kyle, after she had stopped him in the hallway, saying that she wouldn't want to fail her best student because he was late._

_It didn't take the smaller teen long to figure out that Kyle wasn't in the school. So his search soon took him outside and towards the field. That's when he saw the boy in question, plus about...what looked like, four guys from the team under the bleachers._

_Still being the person he was, Butters figured they were just playing football or something. He started over towards them to get Kyle for his test, still wondering why they would be playing under the benches instead of on the field._

_It was only when he got close enough to realize that something was wrong...very wrong. He stopped dead in his tracks and wheeled around, darting back to the school._

_He had to do something...get help, call the police...something!_

_The four guys had Kyle pinned to the ground with, what looked like a shirt, gagging him. Butters shivered as he tried to get the image out of his head._

_And not paying any mind to where he was going, ran face first into Eric._

"_Butters! What the hell" came the snappy replied as the larger boy turned around, now noticing how startled and scared the other boy was, "Aww, common...don't give me that. Look, sorry I yelled at ya if that's your problem."_

_The sort blond had payed no mind to what the other had just said, instead to latched on his arm and started pulling him towards the door he had entered from._

"_Hey, um Butters...what are you doing? We have an exam in like 10 minutes. We don't have time to-"_

"_Some guys from the football team are beating up Kyle! And you've got to help him!" Butters shouted back, as he continued to pull._

"_What? What do you mean they're beating him up?" Eric questioned, still trying to get filled in as the walked out the back entrance._

"_There are four of them, and they have him on the ground with something over his mouth...and he was crying" he was still trying to collect himself and continued, "I couldn't really see what they were doing to him because I was too far away. But they must have hurt him because he kept screaming and crying."_

"_Butters you idiot." Cartman cut in, "They weren't beating on him, they are probably trying to..."_

_Everything went quite for a moment then, "Shit!" the brunet wenched his arm away from the blond and ran off in the direction of the football field._

_Butters stood silent for a moment before coming back to his senses and running after him._

_---_

_He had got there in time to see Eric send a fist flying in the direction of the final guy. They had all gotten quite the beating it looked like. Some of them had broken noses, and others it looked like their bones where out of place. Good thing it was the end of the year...once the principal fines out about his, he won't be happy._

"_Butters...go and get the nurse."_

_The younger boy turned beside him to see Kenny standing next to him, he must have heard the commotion in the hallway. Leopold look at the other blond, then back at the other two on the ground before nodding and running back to the school for a second time._

_Kenny took a couple steps forward, towards his two "former" best friends. Then looked around at the unconscious bodies around._

"_You really let them have it didn't you?" he slowly examined each one then look down at Eric, "Are you sure it's ok? I mean...you could get kicked off the team for this you know?"_

_Eventually he gave up, seeing that the other boy wasn't paying any mind to him what so ever. _

"_I don't give a damn." the larger boy growled under his breath, "Those bastards deserved what they got."_

_Kenny cracked a small grin. He had know all along that Cartman never really hated the little red head. But the smile soon disappeared after he saw the condition of the said red head._

_His bottom lip was bleeding from where he had chewed at the gag, which had been removed. He had a couple small cuts and bruises on his face, which was stained his tear marks. His jacket has laying off to the side along side his shirt._

'_Poor kid, he never stood a change in hell' _

_The taller blond slipped off his precious coat and slid it over Kyle's slim shoulders. Only now noticing how skinny he really was. _

_How helpless he really was._

_~X~_

The red head still had scars on his chest from that day. Though secretly he was glad Cartman didn't get expelled.

But there was still a part of him that wished it was Stan, not Kenny and Eric that helped and took care of him. That Stan was the one who would protect him.

Who was he kidding. Stan was gone, and he wasn't coming back for anything or anyone.

'_Besides, even if Stan was here...would he really be able to protect me? When he couldn't even keep his promise to me.'_

Kyle thought that to himself as he walked back to his house that night, when something caught his eyes. A small red car sitting outside of his house...a car that he didn't recognise.

But he shrugged it off and went to unlock his front door when he felt someone's hot breath of the back of his neck.

"Hi Kyle"

The Jewish boy whipped his head around and suddenly became nose-to-nose with a familiar black hair, blue eyed teen.

".....Stan?"


End file.
